Target Audience

When I first entered seminary I remember trying to figure out the “right” way to do everything. My hope was that if I understood the correct way of doing things, then I would one day be a good priest. Quickly though, I found myself completely overwhelmed with great options and best practices of ordained ministry within the Episcopal Church. So then I wondered, “How do I discern what is best for me?” Eventually, a more helpful way of approaching this discernment arose.

In a theology class taught by Dr. Tony Baker we discussed fit. As in, does this characteristic fit with how we view God according to Scripture, Church teachings, Tradition, our experience, and reason? Instead of saying this is the right way of expressing a belief we went in the opposite direction using theology of the negative to describe the many attributes that do not accurately depict God according to the guidelines of our faith. Eventually though, we whittled our perspective down to things we could hold true, descriptions of God that really fit. This practice was awfully exciting, but I do not believe it only works with talking about God—it also helps in discerning how I might and how we might best use our finite time, talent, and treasures.

Jesus apparently understood this innately. Strangely the infinite One—who came to dwell on earth as Emmanuel, or God with us—grasped how to most fittingly utilize the gifts and talents of those around him. This was in full display in this passage from Matthew’s Gospel account that we will read this coming Sunday. As Jesus commissioned the twelve disciples, he comprehended that he could not at that moment send them everywhere, but instead he focused on a target audience, namely those in God’s chosen people of Israel who appeared lost and without a shepherd.

Before going further, it feels fittingly prudent to quell a false belief that Jesus aimed for his disciples to squash Judaism. As Jesus himself was a Jewish person, I believe he yearned to fulfill the law, prophet, and wisdom of his people. However, like all religions when mixed with power and political agendas, the essence of the spiritual tool that is religion can get hijacked for personal gain. Jesus yearned for those who were lost to be found, those who were sick to be healed, and those who were hungry to be fed. So, he sent his disciples to a specific group of people, the lost sheep of the house of Israel to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. His mission for them was specific and strategic, so that they could be good stewards of the resources they possessed. Strangely, we in the contemporary Church may hear Jesus calling us to a similar mission today.

Those who study the trajectory of the Church can easily point to numbers that may be terrifying for those of us who love our churches: declining membership, lack of new young families, and an overwhelming number of alternatives on Sunday mornings (sports, vacation, rest, brunch, etc.). And yet, those churches who focus on a target audience and like Jesus’ own ministry those who share a clear message of God’s unconditional love, God’s healing power, and God’s life-transforming Good News are not declining, but growing. I believe those who clearly articulate and follow the vision of Christ are growing because many in the world and even in parts of the Church are still lost, sick, and hungry. I mean aren't we all at times?

We have at our fingertips the greatest opportunity within the Church since before the Church was the Church! Are we going to seize upon this great moment to share hope in the face of doom? Will we run towards those who are in trouble and need assistance? Will we be part of bringing new life and resurrection to those who are seemingly dead? Can we hear God calling us and guiding us out into the world not to provide condemnation or judgment, but to be bearers of God’s healing power? Jesus sends us out into the world to share his Good News of unconditional love. Will you go where Jesus sends you?